having mjor problems with muscle and neck pain , trying too cut down off Ambien

[[Buddie]]

 hey, just wanted a little outlook on the tapering off this z drug that has been acting like a benzo that I have been on in the past, kind of scary.

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...]

Welcome to Benzo Buddies!

Sorry you are having major muscle and neck pain from the Ambien!

How much Ambien are you taking?

How long have you been taking Ambien?

Do you want to taper off the Ambien?

Let us know how we can be of help to you!

[...]

[[Buddie]]

I don't have any kind of concrete advice for you, but I will tell you that not all docs understand how close the Z-drugs are to benzos.  I guess medically they're different, but they do their work on GABA-A.  Also, like the benzos, you will get tolerance to the Z-drugs.

I was on 20mg Ambien, and it didn't do anything anymore.  That was painful!  Docs wouldn't give me any more, I took more than I was supposed to meaning that I ran out early...it felt like my brain was on fire.  The good news is that the really painful part went away in 3 days or so.  The bad news is that my doc said it takes 6 months to a year for the human brain to rewire after long-term Ambien use. 

I just accepted that I wasn't going to sleep for a night or two.  The Ambien-induced insomnia wasn't as bad as Klonopin-induced insomnia; less anxiety, my heart didn't race to 120, and it didn't last as long.

Good luck.

[[Buddie]]

Hey there [...],
Hope you're feeling a bit better. Sorry to say I don't have a bucket of sunshine on the Ambien front. But I know it can be done, 'cause I came of 5 a day and made it 42 days. By then I was sleeping 6 hours a night. But I was a dope and thought I could have one every once in a while and got sucked in again. But that doesn't change the fact that it can be done. I didn't sleep for 5 nights... not a minute. That was hell. But it gradually subsided. 45 mins sleep, then 2 hours, then 4 etc. Hopefully you're not taking as much and, if not, you're initial phase may not be as tough. I won't kid you, though Ambien is one tough sob to beat. I'm still in there fightin' too.

[[Buddie]]

I switched from Ativan to Ambien back in January of this year... My muscles started twitching a week later, but I wasn't sure if it was the CT from Ativan or the Ambien causing the problems.  I took low doses of Ambien every night for about 5 months, then I finished a slow taper.  I have had some insomnia struggles since then, but not as bad.  I agree with [...] that the Ambien-induced insomnia was not nearly as bad as the Ativan-induced insomnia, which kept me awake for 3 days (the worst hell I've ever known!)  I recently started taking small doses occasionally, due to the stress of my Dad being diagnosed with lung & brain cancer... And I've been waking up with a lot of neck and upper back pain!!  I thought it was just stress related, but maybe it has a something to do with the Ambien.  My twitching and fascilations have been acting up as well.  I guess I'll have to endure a few more zero-hour nights in order get this stuff gone for good!!  And all this trouble is from very low doses (less than 2.5mg most nights), so I can't even imagine the trouble and pain that high doses would cause...

[[Buddie]]

Hey Jeni,
So sorry to hear about your Dad!

Yeah, Ambien is such a weird drug. They claim it doesn't do much to relieve muscle pain, so one would figure that muscle pain wouldn't be too bad coming off it. But IMO, after seeing multiple doctors for a back injury followed by 2 years of nasty spasms with no relief, I finally had tried EVERYTHING... chiropractors, exercise, no exercise, rest, ice, heat, massage, spinal epidural, spinal nerve ablation, pain specialists and while they could point to things wrong with my back -- congenital disc disease, some arthritis, congenital facet joint disease, we all agreed it just shouldn't be causing me so much pain when I was quite mobile and active prior to this injury that by all rights should have healed.

Anyway, it took me 2 years and a boatload of different meds and procedures to figure out that FOR ME, the Ambien is so toxic and causes so much anxiety (and muscle tightening as a result) on a daily basis that the injury just can't heal. I liken it to a baseball pitcher "throwing out" his arm but continuing to pitch every day instead of letting it heal... even if it didn't need surgery... by abusing it that way it would never heal. Well, I base all of this on the fact that this spring I made it 42 days without Ambien or Vicodin. I only used ibuprofen. And, while my back didn't completely heal, it was slowly going in the right direction. I would say about 30% improvement vs. virtually 0% improvement in the 2 years prior. And then I went back on Ambien -- one 12.5mg pill per day max -- and within 2 months my back is just as locked up, painful and spasming as at its worst.

So that's my 2 cents -- for me, Ambien takes an injury or vulnerability I already have and makes it ache much worse. I've even have old root canals that have completely healed flare up for 2-3 weeks on this stuff but nothing's wrong with the teeth. One week one molar, another week an altogether different one on the other side. So, IMHO Ambien and Ambien withdrawal is fully capable of causing all kinds of weird aches and pains one wouldn't think would be related to a sleeping pill.

Sorry for the long diatribe... but I feel compelled to try to help or prevent anybody else from taking this drug any longer than they have to... it's just that nasty and I wouldn't wish my experience on anybody.

Best wishes, Jeni. ~Spoondog

[[Buddie]]

Thanks for your concern, Spoondog, and for sharing your story.  I always wonder if any of these prescribing doctors have ever taken any of these drugs... It seems they would be less likely to prescribe if they only knew the suffering it causes.  My doctors said that it is "non-habit forming" and "safe" to use...  Wrong again, Doc!

[[Buddie]]

Hi everyone

I know this is an older post but I just thought I'd add to it.

Im currently tapering off Ambien and I can see some connections to Ambien and my muscles and nerve pain. I will take it day by day and see how this goes but never did I think the Ambien could be contributing to all my pain also. 

[[Buddie]]

I have a question, can Laxton cause also muscle pain, and neck pain? also bad eye sigh, and fleetingness of constant confusion? If so, then How sick I am, or can you really describe me as a sick person? WHAT HELPS? the past few days, when it was very bad, I tried to take magnesium and other vitamins, but the other vitamins didn't expect to do anything besides magnesium which helps to relax muscles. And should be safe to use? I am just glad that I havent been used any other z- drug besides diazepam, and Laxotan

[[Buddie]]

Hey hellinal,
I c/t'd ambien/zolpidem 10 mg without knowing or thinking it would be a problem. I mixed it with alcohol for over 5 years. When I got to double-dose nights, I would quit for a few days to lower my tolerance(I thought...), then do what I learned was reinstatement...did this for several years. When I detoxed alcohol, i had some really tough times, but figured it was because I had pickled myself for so long. I came to these forums to seek info for a friend c/t'd on klonipin, and backed into my own education...gotta love hindsight, myopic as it may be   I murphed through my early w/d in ignorance, a blessing in disguise? Recently, i had a stress test that involved iv cardiac stimulants, and I'm still trying to find my way back. Don't know if the reaction is physical or psychological, but it ain't a lot of fun. Panic attacks are no longer a spectator event, and the leg,back, neck, and head pains are real enough to me. Since detox, the leg pain/cramps have been ongoing, but somewhat relieved by tonic water(quinine). Stress induced panic is not a stranger, and I have been emotionally labile. All these problems have lessened, and once again I don't know which is PAWS and which is POTS...don't really care anymore...I just want back. Pay close attention to what you put into your body, tweak your diet and supplements to meet YOUR needs, and understand that all our recoveries are different. The forums has allowed me commonalities, but discrepancies, also. I try very hard not to adopt every new symptom I read about, but one sx for me is susceptibility to suggestion... don't know if this helps, confuses, bores, or sends you running for shelter...just my experience with the 'sleep aid'
mike